Under this information collection, the
Commission proposes to collect information to determine applicants
that will be selected to participate in the rural broadband
experiments and whether winning bidders are technically and
financially capable of receiving funding for rural broadband
experiment projects. To aid in collecting this information
regarding the rural broadband experiments, the Commission has
created proposed FCC Form 5610 and FCC Form 5620, which applicants
will use to apply to participate in the rural broadband
experiments. This information will be used to determine which
applicants submit the most-cost effective proposals in each funding
category and whether winning bidders have the technical and
financial qualifications to successfully complete the proposed
project within the required timeframes. The Communications Act of
1934, as amended requires the "preservation and advancement of
universal service." The information collection requirements
reported under this new collection are the result of various
Commission actions to promote the Act's universal service goals,
while minimizing waste, fraud, and abuse.
On January 31, 2014, the
Commission released an Order et al., WC Docket No. 10-90 et al.,
FCC 14-5 (Tech Transitions Order and FNPRM) that, among other
things, adopted targeted experiments to explore the impact of
technology transitions on rural Americans, including those living
on Tribal lands, and ensure that, as networks transition, they are
not left behind. On July 14, 2014, the Commission released an
Order, WC Docket No. 10-90, FCC 14-98 (Rural Broadband Experiments
Order), allocating up to $100 million for these experiments and
establishing a framework for the application process for parties to
participate in the rural broadband experiments and delegating to
the Wireline Competition Bureau the authority to determine the
details of the application process. In addition to testing how
tailored economic incentives can advance the deployment of next
generation networks in rural, high-cost areas of the country,
including Tribal lands, the Commission intends to use the rural
broadband experiments to examine, on a limited scale, the use of an
application-based competitive bidding process with objective
selection criteria. The purpose of examining this process is to
enable the Commission to test, in a real-world setting, a number of
the policies that may be implemented in a competitive bidding
mechanism for full-scale implementation in Phase II of the Connect
America Fund that will award support in price cap territories where
the incumbent declines the offer of model-based support. Thus, as
noted above, the IC requirements under Section 254 are necessary to
commence and complete the rural broadband experiment competitive
bidding process as soon as possible in order to ensure that the
Phase II competitive bidding process begins in a timely fashion and
that there is no delay in disbursing the almost $20 billion in
funding to increase broadband deployment. Compliance with the
normal clearance procedures set forth in 5 C.F.R. § 1320 would
delay the implementation of these provisions of Section 254, which
might result in unnecessary confusion and delays. Therefore, the
Commission is requesting OMB emergency approval by September 19,
2014 to avoid any public harm that will result from applying the
normal clearance procedures to these provisions of Section
254.
Under this information
collection, the Commission proposes to collect information to
determine applicants that will be selected to participate in the
rural broadband experiments and whether winning bidders are
technically and financially capable of receiving funding for rural
broadband experiment projects. To aid in collecting this
information regarding the rural broadband experiments, the
Commission has created proposed FCC Form 5610 and FCC Form 5620,
which applicants will use to apply to participate in the rural
broadband experiments. This information will be used to determine
which applicants submit the most-cost effective proposals in each
funding category and whether winning bidders have the technical and
financial qualifications to successfully complete the proposed
project within the required timeframes. The Communications Act of
1934, as amended requires the "preservation and advancement of
universal service." The information collection requirements
reported under this new collection are the result of various
Commission actions to promote the Act's universal service goals,
while minimizing waste, fraud, and abuse.
$0
No
No
No
No
No
Uncollected
Cheryl Callahan 202
418-2320
Yes
Agency/Sub Agency
RCF ID
RCF Title
RCF Status
IC Title
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.
Form FCC 5620 Post Selection Review of Broadband Experiment Winning Bidders - Government
WCB_XXXX_Connect America Fund et al WC 10-90 14-58 FCC-14-98A1_082514.docx
WCB_XXXX_Rural Broadband Emergency OMB cover letter_082514.pdf
Post Selection Review of Broadband Experiment Winning Bidders - Government